old
adjective /əʊld/
/əʊld/
(comparative older, superlative oldest)
Idioms - of a particular age
- be… years, months, etc. old The baby was only a few hours old.
- In those days most people left school when they were only fifteen years old.
- At thirty years old, he was already earning £40 000 a year.
- two fourteen-year-old boys
- a class for five-year-olds (= children who are five)
- I didn't think she was old enough for the responsibility.
- He's not too old to play Romeo.
- How old is this building?
- He's the oldest player in the team.
- She's much older than me.
- My two older sisters and I shared a bedroom.
Extra Examples- He's old enough by now to manage his own affairs.
- You are as old as you feel.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- enough
- six months, ten years, etc. old
- having lived for a long time; no longer young
- to get/grow old
- The old man lay propped up on cushions.
- a little old lady
- She was a woman grown old before her time (= who looked older than she was).
- He was beginning to look old.
- Tom was the last surviving member of the older generation of the family.
Synonyms oldoldopposite young- elderly
- aged
- long-lived
- mature
- old having lived for a long time; no longer young:
- She’s getting old—she’s 75 next year.
- elderly (rather formal) used as a polite word for ‘old’:
- She is very busy caring for two elderly relatives.
- aged (formal) very old:
- Having aged relatives to stay in your house can be quite stressful.
- long-lived having a long life; lasting for a long time:
- Everyone in my family is exceptionally long-lived.
- mature used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young:
- clothes for the mature woman
- a(n) old/elderly/aged/long-lived/mature man/woman
- a(n) old/elderly/aged/mature gentleman/lady/couple
Extra ExamplesTopics Life stagesa1- She was fairly old when she got married.
- The way the young people rushed about made her feel old.
- She's getting old—she's 75 next year.
- We're all getting older.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- the oldnoun [plural] old people
- The old feel the cold more than the young.
More Like This Plural adjectival nounsPlural adjectival nouns- the blind
- the deaf
- the destitute
- the dead
- the dying
- the elderly
- the faithful
- the homeless
- the injured
- the insane
- the jobless
- the middle aged
- the old
- the poor
- the rich
- the sick
- the squeamish
- the wealthy
- the wicked
- the wounded
- the young
Wordfinder- care home
- dementia
- frail
- geriatric
- mobility
- the old
- pensioner
- retire
- sprightly
- widow
- having existed or been used for a long time
- old habits
- He always gives the same old excuses.
- This carpet's getting pretty old now.
- a beautiful old farmhouse
Which Word? older / elderolder / elder- The usual comparative and superlative forms of old are older and oldest:
- My brother is older than me.
- The palace is the oldest building in the city.
- my older/elder sister
- the elder/older of their two children
- I’m the eldest/oldest in the family.
Extra Examples- It's a very old tradition.
- It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.
- It's the world's oldest surviving ship.
- These are some of the oldest trees in the world.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- oldest known
- oldest remaining
- oldest surviving
- …
- [only before noun] former; belonging to past times or a past time in your life
- Things were different in the old days.
- I went back to visit my old school.
- Old and Middle English
- People are still clinging to the old ways of thinking.
- [only before noun] used to refer to something that has been replaced by something else
- We had more room in our old house.
- Mum and Dad bought us a fridge and gave us their old telly.
- [only before noun] known for a long time
- She's an old friend of mine (= I have known her for a long time).
- We're old rivals.
- It's always the same old faces.
- The album includes both new titles and old favourites.
- [only before noun] (informal) used to show kind feelings or a lack of respect
- Good old Dad!
- You poor old thing!
- I hate her, the silly old cow!
Extra Examples- It's a funny old world.
- Why drink plain old water when you can have something better?
- They were having the same boring old conversation about school.
- As my dear old Grandma used to say…
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryphrases- boring old
- silly old
- dear old
- …
age
not young
not new
good old/poor old
Word OriginOld English ald, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch oud and German alt, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘adult’, shared by Latin alere ‘nourish’.
Idioms
any old…
- (informal) any item of the type mentioned (used when it is not important which particular item is chosen)
- Any old room would have done.
any old how
- (informal) in a careless or untidy way
- The books were piled up all over the floor any old how.
as old as the hills
- very old; ancientMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
be up to your (old) tricks
- (informal, disapproving) to be behaving in the same bad way as before
- He had soon spent all the money and was up to his old tricks.
a chip off the old block
- (informal) a person who is very similar to their mother or father in the way that they look or behave
for old times’ sake
- if you do something for old times’ sake, you do it because it is connected with something good that happened to you in the past
give somebody the (old) heave-ho
- (informal) to dismiss somebody from their job; to end a relationship with somebody
the good/bad old days
- an earlier period of time in your life or in history that is seen as better/worse than the present
- That was in the bad old days of rampant inflation.
a/the grand old age (of…)
- a great age
- She finally learned to drive at the grand old age of 70.
a/the grand old man (of something)
- a man who is respected in a particular profession that he has been involved in for a long time
- James Lovelock, the grand old man of environmental science
CultureGrand Old Man was a title originally used to refer to William Gladstone, who spent many years in British politics in 19th century and was prime minister four times.
have a high old time
- (old-fashioned, informal) to enjoy yourself very much
in old money
- (British English, informal) used to give an amount, a measurement, etc. using older or more traditional units that may be more familiar to some people
- The fish measured 29 centimetres (that's a foot in old money).
money for jam/old rope
- (British English, informal) money that is earned very easily, for something that needs little effort
- The job only took about an hour—it was money for old rope.
(there’s) no fool like an old fool
- (saying) an older person who behaves in a stupid way is worse than a younger person who does the same thing, because experience should have taught him or her not to do it
of old
- (formal or literary) in or since past times
- in days of old
- We know him of old (= we have known him for a long time).
old boy, chap, man, etc.
- (old-fashioned, British English, informal) used by older men of the middle and upper classes as a friendly way of addressing another man
old enough to be somebody’s father/mother
- (disapproving) very much older than somebody (especially used to suggest that a romantic or sexual relationship between the two people is not appropriate)
old enough to know better
- old enough to behave in a more sensible way than you actually did
(have) an old head on young shoulders
- used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age
the (same) old story
- what usually happens
- It's the same old story of a badly managed project with inadequate funding.
an old wives’ tale
- (disapproving) an old idea or belief that people now know is not correct
one of the old school
- an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past see also old school
a/the ripe old age (of…)
- an age that is considered to be very old
- He lived to the ripe old age of 91.
settle a score/accounts (with somebody) | settle an old score
- to hurt or punish somebody who has harmed or cheated you in the past
- ‘Who would do such a thing?’ ‘Maybe someone with an old score to settle.’
- An embittered Charlotte is determined to settle accounts with Elizabeth.
(you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks
- (saying) (you cannot) successfully make people change their ideas, methods of work, etc., when they have had them for a long time
(as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails (informal)
- very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations
- She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots.